Thrill-seekers have come under fire for using a Birmingham city centre canal for high speed surfing.

The dangerous stunt called wakeboarding sees youths winched along the waterway on what appears to be a snowboard.

Last night British Waterways said it was concerned about the activity and would be launching an investigation.

A video clip on the YouTube website posted last week shows a youngster in tracksuit top and shorts jumping over a series of locks on Fleet Street.

At one point the youth, who is holding on to the rope with one hand, leaps off a lock before skiing under a bridge along the narrow canal.

Two video clips have been posted on the file-sharing website.

Nicola Lister, of the West Midlands division of British Waterways, said: "We are concerned because this isn't a safe use of the waterway.

"We would be worried about the safety of the youths involved and we would want to investigate it further and work with the appropriate agencies in the city to stop this activity."

Ms Lister added: "Our main concern is to ensure the safe use of the waterways and this is not the kind of behaviour we would want to see."